Lodwar – November 24, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
The De-Risking, Inclusion and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economic (DRIVE) project in Turkana has brought together leaders of Livestock Marketing Associations (LMAs) across the county for a capacity building training, aimed at linking them to markets, locally and beyond Turkana.
The 30 leaders of LMAs were drawn from Kerio, Katilia, Loya, Lokiriama, Namoruputh, Lokichoggio, Kakuma, Lochor-edome, Lodwar, Kalemungorok, Lokichar, Nakoret, Livestock producers and County Livestock Marketing Council (CLMC).
The three-day training in Lodwar is aimed at creating market linkage networks between the livestock producers and aggregators in a bid to commercialize the livestock sub-sector in Turkana.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Officer for Livestock Development, Dr Ezekiel Etelej has urged the LMAs to take advantage of the DRIVE Project to fight against the drought shocks that limit the productive potential of the many livestock Turkana county owns.
“To protect our pastoral economies which is Turkana’s main source of livelihood, against the risks of drought, increase financial inclusion of pastoralists and better connect them to the markets locally and beyond, save to DRIVE Project,” Dr Etelej said.
He, told the trainees to consider the best practices in strengthening marketing linkages, lauding the Lokichoggio’s cross border trade with neighbours, through which 90 heads of cattle are bought and sold in a day.
For this reason, CCO challenged the DRIVE Project team to invest in market information system that will provide livestock owners and other stakeholders with real-time information on market trends.
The Project’s County Liaison Officer (CLO), who is also the Assistant Director in Livestock Production, responsible for market linkages, Ernest Anzeze said that the training is meant to fill the gap, in which livestock producers and traders have decimally commercialized the many livestock available in the county, hence little income within the hands of traders.
“Within the project period, more than 17, 000 pastoralists have so far been registered for the insurance component resulting to payout and bonuses of over Sh 112 million,” Anzeze said.
The Project, he revealed, will organize another training for producer and marketing groups targeting the first 10 LMAs for ready market linkages in Oman, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia,” Anzeze added.
CLO further noted that among the planned activities within the project is the exchange visit of the LMAs to Ethiopia with best practices for learning and experience sharing.
DRIVE is a partnership Project between Government of Kenya (State Department for Livestock Development) in collaboration with County Governments and the private sector (ZEP-RE Reinsurance and Kenya Development Corporation (KDC) with funding from World Bank.
